Gangetic Dolpin is a freshwater or river dolphin found in the Ganges and Brahmaputra Rivers and their tributaries in Bangladesh, India and Nepal. They are also called as the ‘Tigers of Ganga’ as they enjoy the same position in Ganga that a tiger enjoys in the forest.

Scientific name: Platanista gangetica.

Habitat and characteristic features :

The Ganges river dolphin can only live in freshwater around the confluence of two or more rivers.

They are essentially blind and hunt by emitting ultrasonic sounds, which bounces off of fish and other prey, enabling them to “see” an image in their mind.

They are frequently found alone or in small groups, and generally a mother and calf travel together. It weighs up to 150 kg. Males are smaller than females.

Protection status:

International trade is prohibited by the listing it on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

It is protected under the Indian Wildlife Act. IUCN has listed it as ‘endangered‘. It is also placed in Schedule-I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

Threats due to human interaction :

Poisoning of the water supply from industrial and agricultural chemicals has contributed to population decline of Gangetic dolphin.

Entanglement in fishing nets and hunting them for their oil and meat has caused significant damage to local population numbers.

The most significant issue is the building of more than 50 dams along many rivers has caused segregation of populations and a narrowed gene pool in which dolphins can breed.

Conservation Programme: Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change had launched Ganges River Dolphin Conservation Programme in 1997 to build a scientific database of their population status and also study their habitat quality of the dolphins’ distribution range. It has been officially declared as National Aquatic Animal of India.

Practice Questions

Q1

Which of the following general election holds the record for witnessing the lowest voting percentage ever?

The Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) is now critically endangered according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The declaration was based on IUCN assessment which considers past, current and future rates of species loss.

The combined impacts of habitat loss, habitat degradation and illegal hunting equate to an 86 per cent population reduction between 1973 and 2025.

Observing the the current human behaviour toward wildlife it has been predicted that population will further decline to 47,000 animals by 2025.

Facts about Bornean orangutan :

The Bornean orangutan is a species of orangutan native to the island of Borneo. Together with the Sumatran orangutan, it belongs to the only genus of great apes native to Asia.

Like the other great apes, orangutans are highly intelligent, displaying advanced tool use and distinct cultural patterns in the wild. Orangutans share approximately 97 per cent of their DNA with humans.

Cause of decline in Population :

Deforestation: About 40 per cent of Borneo’s forests has been lost due to palm oil plantations and cutting down of trees for furniture. Threats to wild orangutan populations include poaching, habitat destruction, and the illegal pet trade.

Slow Breeding: They are slow breeders as females only reproduce once every six to eight years (the longest birth interval of any land mammal).

Researchers for the first time have found clear evidence that the thinning in the ozone layer above Antarctica is starting to heal.

The scientists said that in September 2015 the hole was around 4 million sq km smaller than it was in the year 2000 - an area roughly the size of India.

The first hole in Antarctic ozone were identified in the mid-1980s.

Ozone layer in the atmosphere’s stratospheric layer comprises of Ozone (O3), an allotrope of oxygen.

Ozone is important because it blocks out harmful ultraviolet radiation from the Sun.

Its absence increases the chances of skin cancer, cataract damage, and harm to animals and plants.

In 1986, US researcher Susan Solomon showed that ozone was being destroyed by the presence of molecules containing chlorine and bromine that came from chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), found in hairsprays to refrigerators to air conditioning units.

Jun 29, 2016MoU signed between CSIR and CIMFR for coal quality analysis

Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Centre Institute of Mining and Fuel Research (CIMFR) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Coal Supplying companies and Power Utilities for quality analysis of coal being supplied to power utilities by coal companies.

As a part of this MoU, CSIR-CIMFR would make use of its knowledge based support in maintaining the quality of coal at national level for the entire power sector.

It is estimated that about 300 million metric tons of coal samples would be analyzed for quality per year. The contract value of the project is around Rs 250 crore per annum at minimum.

It is also expected that this project will result in improvement in performance of power plants besides levaraging benefits to the consumer in particular and society as a whole. The endevour would help the nation in sustainable energy supply and security planning for future as it may reduce import of thermal coal.

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